Hearts Collide
by JCampbell29
Summary: 7th year, after the war. Draco is the source of much torment and enough is enough for Harry. The two were once enemies, but they share a pain that bonds them together. Can the boys possibly heal each other? McGonagall thinks so. HarryxDraco
1. Is that what you think?

Disclaimer: I admit that I do not own Harry Potter. That piece of artwork belongs to J.K. Rowling. ^_^  
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"What a blah day"thought Harry as he sighed and stretched out on top of his bed in the very familiar Griffindor dormitories.

It had only been about a week since the students returned for their 7th year of school, but with the war over, Harry found that he had too much free time to let his mind wander, and that usually wasn't very good for his health. He had a major tendency to worry and blame everything on himself, and that often took its toll on him. Things were so different now. Life seemed a lot quieter than it once had that's for sure and it was simply out of boredom that Harry decided to pull out the Maurauder's map. He figured there _had_ to be something interesting enough on there that he could focus on to get his mind to chill out little.

Nothing seemed too thrilling at first, but then something up towards the top caught Harry's eye. There, in the third floor boy's lavatory was the little dot labeled Draco Malfoy, and he wasn't alone. He appeared to be amongst a group of other little dots with names for the most part Harry recognized as his own 7th year classmates with a few first and second years in the mix. Harry thought for a moment.

"The third floor is forbidden… I guess I can understand why Malfoy would be there, but why are all those other people with him…"

His thoughts trailed off as he noticed the positioning of the little circles. The little dots surrounded Draco's or more, they were on top of it.

"Uh-oh, this can't be good."

Harry's heart skipped a beat as he quickly put the cloaking charm back on the map before shoving it under his mattress and rushing out of the room.

By the time he reached the third floor he was at an all out sprint and panting hard from the combination of running and adrenaline. He stopped for a moment to catch his breath. He wasn't sure when it happened, but he knew he no longer hated Malfoy like he once did. He had a feeling though that even if he did, he would still be in the same place he was right now.

"This is just wrong. After all of the suffering, no one should have to endure this kind of torture. Don't people realize that this is not going to change the past? If _I_ can forgive him…"

Harry shook his head and tried to calm his nerves. He needed to hurry, and it wouldn't do him any good to get lost in his panic and end up doing something really stupid.

As he closed in on the door leading into the lavatory Harry could hear muffled yelling and cheering coming from inside. He noisily burst through the door alerting all of the members inside who froze instantly, believing it to be a professor or worse, Filch.

Harry stood panting in the doorway, and arm braced on the frame for support and for a single moment the world stopped. Harry was not seeing the 7 or so pairs of wide eyes staring at him. All he saw in that moment was, behind the wall of students lying in a heap on the floor, a very pale, very beaten Draco Malfoy. Harry was even more startled when he noticed that Malfoy had no pants on, and another student was hovering over him, _his_ pants around his knees.  
Something flared inside of him.

The world started back up again, but Harry could not pull his eyes from the sight before him. His paralysis was broken after one of the students, Dean Thomas to be exact, decided to speak up. Everyone had relaxed once they realized it was Harry and not someone else.

"Ah Harry." Dean grinned. "Come to join in on the fun have you?"

His eyes were not met by the friendly emerald ones he was used to seeing. Instead, Harry's eyes burned so fiercely into his that he gasped and took a step back.

"Get. Out." was all he said, but there was a murderous tone to those words.

No one had seen this side of Harry. Even Harry himself had only felt this intense anger and hatred once before in his life, and that was directed at the creature who murdered his parents.

Everyone was silent, the tension in the room rising to a suffocating degree. Harry took a step to the side, revealing the open doorway and repeated himself. He didn't know how much longer he could control the anger raging inside of him.

"I said. Get. Out."

Dean threw his hands up as a sign of truce. "Alright, alright mate, I dunno why you are so touchy, Its Draco_ Malfoy_ we are talking about here. He KILLED Dumbledore!"

Harry lunged at this comment and grabbed Dean by the collar of his shirt, bringing his classmate's face inches from his own. "Malfoy was NOT the one who killed Dumbledore, and you would be wise to get you're facts straight."

Harry let go of the now trembling Dean who gave him a look of disbelief before running for the door, the others following quickly behind. There were tapping of shoes on tile, many confused whispers, and the slam of the door closing, followed by silence.

Taking a deep breath to release the tension he had built up in all his anger, Harry walked towards the quiet heap that was Malfoy, picking up the lost pants, boxers and belt along the way. He knelt next to the boy who was face down on the cold tile floor and softly whispered his name.

There was no response.

Harry, not wanting to scare the blonde, hesitated before gently laying a hand on his back, hoping for a reaction to make sure he was conscious. As soon as Harry's hand made contact he gasped and jerked it back as if he had been burned.

"Those bastards! How low! Putting a petrification curse on to ensure complete domination!"

He fumbled, trying to reach for his wand to undo to curse. He lifted the curse and a small whimper of relief broke through the lips of the abused teen. This time Harry did not hesitate before laying a hand on the blonde's shoulder to assist him in sitting up, but due to the lack of the curse Malfoy was able to jerk away from the touch and frantically backup against the wall.

"Get away from me! Don't fucking touch me!!" He screamed and batted wildly at Harry's hands when he tried to calm the boy down.

"Malfoy it's me, it's me Harry! I'm not going to hurt you, I promise. All those other guys are gone, you are safe now!"

Harry tried to keep his voice calm as best as he could, all the while trying to avoid the flailing limbs of the frantic teen. He managed to capture both wrists in a tight grip and seat himself on Malfoy's lap, knees on either side of the boy to prevent him from hurting himself and try to get him to calm down. It was an awkward position to say the least but it did get the blonde to stop flailing around.

Malfoy had no idea who was on top of him, for he had been in such a panic, such desperation to get those bastards away from him that nothing had gotten through to him, only that the petrification curse had been lifted and he could move. But, once again he was immobile. He didn't have the strength to fight back against those strong arms and he knew it, so he simply stopped struggling and just squeezed his eyes shut as tight as he could and braced himself for what was next. He deserved this. He deserved to die didn't he?

But nothing came. No pain. No humiliation. He only heard a soft voice say his name.

"Draco…" Harry felt very odd calling his former rival by his first name, but he kind of liked it… or he could get used to it at least.

"It's me Draco. It's Harry. I'm not going to hurt you."

The very frightened blond in front of him had his eyes squeezed shut and his body tense. Harry had no idea how he must feel right now, so helpless, so pathetic, so worthless. He was the great Draco Malfoy after all, yet here he was, beaten, alone, and probably feeling very much like he wanted to die.

Harry did not like this thought at all. He wasn't quite sure why he felt such a strong need to help this person whom he hated so much in the past, who insulted him and his friends numerous times, who had almost killed…

But he didn't. He couldn't. Maybe there was something more to him than Harry initially thought, in fact he knew there was. Had he always known it?

Gah! Harry shook his head once again trying to remain focused on the task at hand.

"Draco… please look at me." Harry begged in a whisper so low he himself could barely hear the words that came out of his mouth.

He wasn't expecting much by that point so was very surprised and relieved to see the blonde slowly, cautiously, open dull silver eyes and raise them to meet worried green ones.

"P-Potter?" The still very frightened teen questioned.

"Yes Dra—er, Malfoy, it's me. Are you alright?" Ugh, way to go Harry, look at him! Of course he's not alright!

Malfoy simply stared at him, surprise evident on his face. That didn't last long though before his defenses rose again and he scoffed.

"What? You want a piece of me too?" he glared fiercely at Harry who stared right back into those eyes, a look of hurt across his face.

They sat there having a stare-off for the longest time, neither wanting to be the one to break the eye contact. Finally, Malfoy scoffed again, scowled and turned his head to the side.

"Is that seriously what you think of me?"

The strange question had him turning back to look into newly offended eyes.

Harry didn't know why he would be so hurt by that comment, but he was. They may have been enemies before, but he thought Malfoy at least thought a little better of him. He just stared into those… beautiful, he had to admit… eyes searching for some hint to what he was thinking.

The intense look he gave had the blonde losing confidence in his assessment. Harry isn't really like that, is he…?

Ugh! What am I thinking? I'm sure he wants me to die anyways like everyone else here. But then why wasn't he doing anything, well… anything more than sitting on my lap and holding my wrists tightly in a death grip that is. He decided to speak up.

"Well then… what _are_ you doing here?"

He was starting to feel _very_ sore from the brutal harassment not too long ago and also very cold. Why was he so cold? Harry was basically on top of him so why was he, his legs and arse mostly so goddamn—"AHH!!"

The scream came so suddenly it made Harry shoot straight up which in turn freed the blonde who slammed his knees together and wrapped his arms around himself in pure horror.

Harry, who must have jumped four feet in the air, clutched his heart and stared in shock at the form on the ground trying desperately to hide himself. Harry then realized what Malfoy had just realized… he was still pant-less. Harry's cheeks instantly turned a bright shade of red as he swirled around, picked up the pile of clothing and threw it at the form behind him.

"Here! I- I'm sorry, I didn't see anything- I- I just had to- make sure you didn't- hurt yourself first- so I forgot and- and…"

The horribly embarrassed teen was at a complete loss for words and probably seemed like a complete pervert, exactly like Dean Thomas! Ugh!! He fought for words but elected to clamping his eyes shut instead when he couldn't think of anything helpful to say.

The blonde stared blankly at the clothing in his lap before realizing it was his own. The very ones that had been stolen from him when…

He looked up at the teen whose back now faced him and he could swear there was a hue to his cheeks… Why was Potter, er, Harry…why was Harry doing this? He should hate me if anything.

He thought about the possibilities as he carfefully stood up and put his clothes back on. It was a little slower going than he would have liked… he hadn't realize how badly he had been hurt. Once fully clothed Malfoy took a step forward and hissed in pain as his leg gave out underneath him.

Harry had heard and turned around quickly enough to catch the falling boy and lower him gently to the ground.

The blonde leaned against Harry, not having the strength to support himself any longer. God he hated himself and his pitiful existence.

Harry supported the weight of the boy against his chest and placed his hands softly on his back. He knew how hard it must be for Malfoy to be so vulnerable, having to lean on his own former enemy for support. But maybe it didn't have to be that way.

"Malfoy…" Harry started, but froze when he heard small sobs coming from the boy within his arms.

Harry didn't want to make a huge fuss about the other boy's very out of the ordinary behavior, it must have been hard enough as it was being so weak and having to rely on him. Now he had to endure the humiliation of crying in front of him.

Harry wanted more than anything to take as much of that sick feeling away from Malfoy as he possibly could. It wasn't about right or wrong anymore, Harry decided that no matter what he was going to protect this boy, though of course he wouldn't say it out loud. That would only make it worse for Malfoy. He didn't really know what he was doing, but Harry wanted to heal the sobbing form in his arms more than anything at that moment.

He closed his eyes and started rubbing gentle circles down the blonde's back. He softly rested his head atop the other's in an attempt to create a small feeling of security all the while rubbing circles.

The two sat in silence, except for the small sobs that racked through the broken blonde's body. Time passed, and eventually the sobs quieted, but neither moved, not wanting to break the spell that had them both in an almost contented trance.

Harry started to come back to reality and his eyes flittered open.

He remembered Malfoy's wounds and knew that the best place for him now would be the hospital wing. Reluctant to disturb the newly calmed boy Harry whispered softly into his ear.

"Malfoy…?"

"hmm…"

"We should get you to the hospital wing."

There was a long pause before something escaped the blonde's lips.

"Draco." He whispered barely audible.

"Huh?" Harry wasn't sure he had heard correctly.

The blonde sat back and silver eyes met green.

"You called me Draco before…. didn't you?" He asked almost dreamily, as if he was waking from a very long needed rest.

Harry looked away, hoping he wasn't blushing. Why the heck was he blushing again?

"I did… but I- I was trying to get you to respond so I thought--"

"Do it from now on."

It was a demand, but not a hostile one. Draco Malfoy was used to getting his way, and Harry knew that he would get his way this time too. He looked almost innocent right now, even after all that had happened.

Harry stood up and reached a hand down to aid the other in getting to his feet.

"Draco" He announced, wrapping the blonde's thin arm around his shoulder and embracing his waist so he could help support some of his weight.

"I believe our destination is the hospital wing."

Harry couldn't help but smile a little at the thought of the kind-of friendship the two were sharing. The smile was gone though when a frightening memory suddenly struck him.

"That boy standing over you… did he-- "

"He didn't have the chance." Draco cut him off. He had read Harry's mind. "I guess I should thank you for that." He tilted his head slightly so he could force a small grin Harry's way.

It made Harry sad to see him force a smile, when he knew how much he must be hurting inside.

Harry took a deep breath and faced forward with a cool response.

"Nothing like that will happen to you again you know." He was very serious in making sure that he kept his statement true. He was going to protect Draco.

Said boy gave him a weird look but didn't say anything more about it.

The two continued through the castle in silence and finally limped their way into the hospital wing.  
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you don't HAVE to read and review.... but I would really appreciate it, this is my first fanfic and I'd like to know how I'm doing ^_^ Thanks so much!!


	2. Maybe things should change

Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter, but here is chapter two for you.  
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"My goodness what happened?"

Madam Pomfrey rushed over as soon as the two boys entered the Hospital Wing.

Harry glanced sideways at Draco and realized that he hadn't actually looked that closely in the lavatory, but now he noticed that most of the exposed parts of Draco's body were covered in bruises of many different sizes and colors.

The nurse cleared her throat which brought Harry's attention back to her.

Neither of them opened their mouths and the school nurse eyed them both suspiciously as she ordered Harry to bring Draco over and lay him on one of the beds. Harry was not about to say anything about what happened to Draco and risk breaking whatever trust he currently had in him so he stayed quiet when the woman pressed the question some more.

"I need to know what happened in order to best assess your injuries Mr. Malfoy and give you the proper remedy."

Her tone wasn't malicious, but both boys knew from experience that she would find out the truth, using force if she had to.

Draco sat in bed and stared at his hands in his lap, clearly not wanting to admit that he was a victim of anything, let alone almost being a victim of something even worse than getting the crap beat out of him. Harry didn't blame him, he would feel the exact same had him and Draco switched places. Somehow though, he didn't think that Draco would have done the same for him.

Of course, he was starting to see Draco in a new light and the blonde had shown a little more trust in him than he thought he would have. There could maybe be a chance that Draco was feeling the same way, that he saw something in Harry now that he didn't before.

Madam Pomfrey repeated her question once more and made it clear that the healing process was going to be a lot more painful than it had to be if she was forced to guess what it was that happened.

Malfoy quivered a little at this idea and so did Harry. Madam Pomfrey could be very scary when she wanted to be.

Harry worried that Draco wouldn't say anything and would be in even more pain than he already was, and he _couldn't_ say anything himself, it just wasn't his place.

Harry took a step closer to the bed and was about to give the boy a slight nudge but he was stopped by a quiet "I got beat up."

Draco never stopped looking at his hands and for a moment Madam Pomfrey didn't respond.

She looked like she was going to press for more details, but just then the phone started ringing. She stayed in place for a moment longer still eyeing the bruised boy sitting on the bed but then seemed satisfied enough with his response and went to answer the phone.

As soon as she was out of earshot Draco spoke.

"Why didn't you answer, tell her everything?"

He looked up into Harry's eyes and Harry couldn't read the expression on his face. He was confused. Had Draco really wanted him to say something? Didn't they establish a kind of trust up on the third floor?

"I…" He paused for a moment, thinking hard for an appropriate response. "I didn't know you wanted me to."

"Well I didn't." He responded a bit defensively. "I just… thought you would have."

Draco broke their gaze and went back to staring at his hands that were still locked tightly together in his lap.

Once again Harry was hurt by the lack of trust the other boy gave him. He needed to let him know that he really wasn't like that. He really wasn't going to do anything bad to him.

"It wasn't my place to say."

He looked at the blonde. "I honestly had no idea that you thought this low of me."

"Tch! Of course I don't trust you! We were enemies before weren't we? You probably feel the same about me!" He growled, almost desperately, trying to keep his voice low.

Harry was speechless for a moment but then he understood. Of course. They _were_ enemies. They both should feel an equal lack of distrust in each other. That would explain why Draco was so frustrated with Harry's unexpected behavior. They both knew how to act towards each other when they were enemies. But for some reason Harry wasn't as frustrated with his new feelings about the blonde as he clearly was. Maybe it was because he knew that things were different now, for everyone, they always would be.

This new life was so hard at times, and in so many ways the past was better. But when it came to this moment right now and the boy sitting in front of him, Harry realized that he didn't _want_ things to be like they were before. They were too hard, too painful. He wanted things to change, to be different, be better. Draco needed to know that things were no longer the same between them.

The silence became almost unbearable before Harry spoke up.

"Actually, I _don't_ feel the same about you."

He was surprised at how easily the words flowed from his mouth though he took to looking at the floor.

"Maybe I did at one point… but things are different now."

He slowly raised his eyes to meet Draco's unreadable ones, a new wave of determination washing over him.

"I don't want things to be like they used to. Maybe things between us should change."

The blonde was caught off guard by his response, and before he could compose himself there was a click and Madam Pomfrey bustled back to take Harry aside.

"The Headmistress wants to see you in her office."

Harry nodded and glanced over the nurse's shoulder into confused silver eyes. He made his way to the exit and turned once more to face those same confused eyes still staring at him. He laughed to himself at the blonde's almost cute expression and then turned away once again to make his way to the Headmistress's office.  
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Once past the spinning owl statue and up the stairs, Harry was greeted by glittering green eyes and a warm smile.

"Professor Mcgonagall" Harry greeted the new headmistress with a smile.

After the war, Mcgonagall had been appointed the roll of Headmistress at Hogwarts. Harry used to think that that was the scariest thing in the world, but he realized that the death of the beloved former headmaster had taken its toll on her just as it had on everyone else which in turn created a much softer, much more understanding woman. Harry knew she was always worried that she would never be able to fit the magnificent shoes that Dumbledore fitted, but he had faith in her.

"It's a pleasure to see you Harry" She said cheerfully. "Please sit down." She motioned to the chair in front of her desk and took a sip of her tea.

Harry smiled thankfully at her and sat down. He was very content in that moment, but then remembered what had happened no more than half an hour before. He frowned and dropped his gaze as he replayed the scenes in his head. He had to tell her about this, she had to know what was going on.

The headmistress noted the change in moods, but continued smiling and reached across the desk to offer Harry a lemon drop. She had called him up here for a reason after all.

Harry stared at the bowl of lemon candies in front of him but then looked past it into curious forest green eyes.

"Professor… I..."

"Do you know why I called you here Harry?"

He closed his mouth for a moment, thinking. Mcgonagall never called anyone to her office without a reason.

She gently placed the untouched candy bowl back into its original position.

"There is a student here who has been having a few… difficulties lately. I believe you are familiar with him." She paused, knowing she held the boy in anticipation. Oh yes, she knew what she was doing.

He didn't say anything, just waited, so she continued.

"Mr. Malfoy."

Harry jumped at this as she knew he would.

"Yes! Professor, today he—well, he was treated so horribly!"

"Harry...."

"And by students from my own house no less!!"

"Harry."

"I don't know what to do! It's disgusting! It's just not fair, and I--"

"MR. POTTER!"

Harry froze and realized that he was no longer sitting in his chair, but standing up with his hands flat on the desk leaning very close to the surprisingly collected woman in front of him. He blushed and sat back down in his chair, folding his hands tightly together.

"S-sorry professor, I… got a little carried away." He looked down at his hands in his lap, much like Draco did in the hospital wing, expecting to get scolded for yelling in the Headmistress's face. He looked up again though when he heard not a lecture, but laughter.

He cocked his head in confusion as he silently watched the former strict Mcgonagall laugh to herself for what seemed like an incredibly long time. He had never heard her laugh quite like this before and he just couldn't figure out what it was that she thought was so gosh darn funny.

She laughed for another minute or so but then regained her composure. Harry saw what he thought was a peculiar twinkle in her eyes, much like Dumbledore often had when he was secretly planning something. She cleared her throat before speaking again.

"Yes, well, I am very aware of what happened to Mr. Malfoy."

Her tone became serious. "This cannot happen again. Though much worse could have been committed, this is a very serious crime and I fear things will not be getting any better for him. The war may be over, but Mr. Malfoy has more enemies now than ever."

"But he is innocent!"

Harry found himself worked up once more and had to grip the armrests of his chair to keep from jumping out of it again.

"That may be true, but there are many blind souls out there who don't really care either way. They are just simply looking for someone to take their pain out on."

"But HE is in pain too! Probably more so than any of them, they couldn't possibly understand! They couldn't…." Harry trailed off.

He couldn't continue he was so exhausted from being so frustrated. He wanted to do something, to make them know how Draco felt, or at least realize that he wasn't the one to blame.

"But _you_ can."

Mcgonagall finished Harry's last thought and gave him an understanding smile when he looked up at her.

Now he was fighting back tears. He was just glad that Draco wasn't here to see him weak like this. Not after he promised himself that he was going to be strong.

Mcgonagall continued as if she knew what he was thinking.

"You don't always have to be strong Harry. Don't try to forget that you were hurt too. Both you and Mr. Malfoy have known hurt on such a deep level. A level most people never have and never will feel. This hurt is unimaginable unless it has been experienced. That is something that you and Mr. Malfoy now share."

"I just don't know what to do…" Harry pleaded through tear filled eyes. "It won't go away." He was now sobbing and covered his face with his hands.

The headmistress spoke softer now.

"Many never heal from this sort of pain Harry. I don't want to see you go through that. I don't want to see Mr. Malfoy go through that."

Harry took a deep breath and stopped his tears. "I don't… I don't want to see him go through that either. Why am I having feelings like this about him? We hated each other before."

The headmistress smiled once again.

"Oh, I don't think you ever hated one another. I think your true feelings might be deciding to make themselves known now because of what the two of you went through. Pain that is so immense that is shared can form an everlasting connection between people. I think that connection might be the key to being able to heal."

Harry was very confused by what she said and he also had a newly formed headache.

"I have an idea. Harry, would you mind terribly moving into a two-person dormitory?"

Harry had to stop trying to comprehend what the headmistress had previously said and focus on this new out of the ordinary question.

"Two-person dormitory?"

"Yes, it is a very special dormitory that I myself have created. It isn't a part of any house and is located away from the other house dormitories."

Ok. Harry was seriously confused. A dormitory that isn't a part of any house? What would the point of that be? When he didn't speak up the professor continued.

"The reason I ask, is because I would like you and Mr. Malfoy to room together."

That immediately shook off Harry's confusion.

"Room with Draco?! I'm sorry professor, but I seriously doubt that he would ever consider rooming with me."

The headmistress raised an eyebrow when Harry used Draco's first name and eyed him curiously.

"Even after what happened between you two today?"

She sat patiently, waiting for a response.

Harry had to think about that. He _had_ stopped Draco from getting…. and Draco even cried in front of him. He supposed that would have NEVER happened in a million years before the war. And.. he had even told him to call him by his first name….

"Well, I guess-"

"Then it's settled."

Harry choked. "What?! I didn't agree-"

"On the second floor you will find a statue of a gargoyle with the face of an angel. The password is slugwort. Your belongings are being transferred as we speak and I will inform Mr. Malfoy of his new accommodations."

"But- I-he--" Harry was so mixed up he couldn't even form a coherent sentence.

"I'm sorry Harry, but I really must be going. I'm sure you will find your new dormitory to your liking. I will check up on you soon and see how things are going."

She smiled a big smile before bustling out of the office, leaving Harry standing alone trying to figure out what it was that just happened. He stood there for a good 3 minutes in silence before it hit him like a ton of bricks and Harry thought for sure he was going to pass out.

It was simple. He was going to be living with Draco Malfoy.  
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I hope you have enjoyed this so far, and I hope I'm not being too cheesy about this lol. Thanks for reading!!


	3. This might work out

Disclaimer: I still don't own Harry Potter.

Oh! Also, thank you so much for the reviews!! They definitely encourage me to keep writing and not procrastinate like I so love to do hehe ^_^  
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He was going to be living with Draco Malfoy.

He was going to be living with Draco Malfoy.

He, Harry Potter, was going to be living with Draco Malfoy.

He wasn't sure when or how he got there, but Harry now found himself in his new dormitory standing there, in the middle of the common room, mumbling to himself like an idiot.

"Ok Harry, what's the big problem? So what, you are rooming with your former enemy. You were the one who wanted things to be different right? Sure, _this_ wasn't expected… but Mcgonagall must know what she's doing. Just take a deep breath and chill the heck out."

Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath, relaxing a little from his personal pep talk. Once his breathing slowed and he felt a little more like himself, he opened his eyes.

He found himself staring at a warmly glowing fireplace, much like the one that the Griffindor Dormitories fashioned. Instead of a lion head carved into the middle though, there was just a simple braided pattern. In front of the fireplace sat two leather lounge chairs and a large sofa. A small coffee table separated the lounge furniture and another larger study table was situated in a corner with two desk chairs neatly pushed underneath it.

The room itself was very simple. It didn't sport the colors of any particular house. Instead, it was designed with blacks and beiges, a little splash of color here and there, but otherwise very neutral.

Harry found that he actually liked it.

It was a little easier on his eyes than the bright reds and yellows of the Griffindor common room. Of course he was going to miss his old dorm a little. Being sorted into Griffindor house his first day at Hogwarts had been one of the best moments of his life.

It was certainly going to be strange not being a part of any house, just kind of… being there.

Then again, with everything that had happened he had started to feel somewhat disconnected from everything he was once a part of. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

He was the one who vowed to protect Malfoy in the first place, gods know what gave him that idea, and he supposed being closer to him would at least help him be able to do that.

Harry wondered when he was going to get out of the Hospital Wing.

"He'll probably be _ecstatic_ when he finds out who he's going to be living with from now on." Harry thought sarcastically as he made his way down a short hallway and entered a large room at the end.

That was the bedroom.

There were two twin sized beds against the back wall separated by two bedside tables and a single long dresser in the middle. Along two of the walls were two large wooden wardrobes and a single bathroom was located opposite the beds. A large, beautifully crafted, circular rug covered most of the floor.

Harry finished examining the room and decided that it would be easy to move the wardrobes between the beds if Draco decided he didn't want to be able to see Harry when they slept.

The bathroom was roomy, but there was only one shower.

Harry hoped that he and Draco had different showering schedules so they didn't end up killing each other over something stupid like who was going to get the shower first.

There was one long counter top with two sinks and a big mirror spanning its length.

Overall, the place was very comfortable. Harry caught sight of his reflection in the mirror and stared at himself.

He hadn't grown much taller since his 5th year at Hogwarts, but his body was definitely more filled out and his muscles more defined. Of course, that's what a war will do to you. He still had his shaggy raven hair and brilliant emerald green eyes. Girls often swooned over his appearance, but he never really understood what the big deal was.

Harry leaned closer to the mirror and examined the little lightning bolt that was forever imprinted on his forehead. It's funny how a little scar can make you so different than everyone else.

Finally he sighed, turned his back on his reflection and made his way back into the bedroom. At least he got to choose which bed he wanted because he was here first.

He decided to take the bed closest to the door. Just in case Draco became his normal self again and decided that he wanted to kill Harry in the Middle of the night, he could try and escape faster.

He really had to laugh at his own thoughts and how ridiculous they were.

He used to be afraid of the dark lord, but that was understandable. He should definitely not need to feel afraid of Draco Malfoy. Even if he did want to pick a fight, Harry was much stronger and Draco was really kind of a wimp.

And besides, he wanted Draco to trust him, so he should at least try to return that same trust.

Harry changed his mind and decided that he chose the bed because it was the closest to him at that moment and the one he could collapse onto first.

He laid his head back onto the pillows and stared up at the ceiling.

"Draco…" He whispered to himself. "Things will be different between us, I swear."

He closed his eyes but sleep didn't come easy as he found that he couldn't stop thinking of the blond-haired boy he had rescued earlier. He kept picturing those beautiful silver eyes, that soft pale skin, that battered broken form laying on the cold tile floor… those warm tears staining his shirt… that soft body within his arms…

"Please be ok…"  
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Harry woke up not long after to the sound of the statue moving and blindly reached for his glasses so he could roll over and look at his alarm clock.

3:00am.

Who had come in? Mcgonagall wouldn't have visited Harry this time of night, and there was no way that Madam Pomfrey would have let Draco leave until morning…

Being who he was, Harry had to investigate, so he quietly got out of his bed and tiptoed to the bedroom door that had been left cracked open.

He peered through the little opening but couldn't see anything other than the faint glow of the dying fire.

He decided that whoever it was couldn't be too dangerous, so he opened the door as quietly as he could and slipped out, barely making a sound.

He crept the short distance down the hallway and a just as he rounded the corner he bumped headfirst into someone.

Both persons screamed at the unexpected presence of another and Harry jumped back to see that he had walked into none other than his new roommate.

Draco's eyes were wide from being frightened but he relaxed when he saw who it was.

"Potter… I thought you would have been sleeping."

Harry was more than surprised to see the blonde.

"I was, but I woke up when I heard the statue move."

Draco had fully recovered from being startled and smirked.

"Well who did you think it was, the boogyman?"

Harry scowled. "Of course not! I just wasn't expecting _you_. I'm surprised Madam Pomfrey let you leave."

"Pshh, that old bag? No way she was gonna let me leave! I escaped."

Harry laughed at the very proud grin Draco wore and Draco laughed too. The laughter died all too soon though and was followed by an awkward silence. Harry knew he had to break the silence somehow, it was getting unbearable. He also hadn't failed to notice Draco call him by his last name, but he didn't want to bring that up just then.

"So…" Harry started awkwardly. "How are you feeling?"

Draco answered just as uncomfortably.

"Well, I've got a couple of broken ribs, and a lot of bruises, but the pain isn't too bad." Draco looked at the ground and shuffled his feet a little.

"It would have been a lot worse though… if you hadn't barged in and stopped them."

Harry looked up at the uncomfortable looking Draco, not really knowing what to say.

"Well I'm glad I did."

Draco now looked up and silver locked with emerald. The gaze lasted for what seemed like eternity until Harry finally broke it.

"I'm glad you are feeling better. I'm just sorry you are stuck living with me now, heh."

He turned away at his failed attempt to lighten the mood. It didn't seem like Draco was going to respond so Harry was a little surprised when he did.

"Actually I should be sorry. You are the one who is really stuck living with me."

"What?"

Harry jerked his head back up. Draco nearly never apologized, to anyone.

Draco was looking down again, his shoulders drooping a little. He looked like he could fall apart at any minute. Harry could barely stand it.

Draco spoke in a soft voice.

"I'm not an idiot Harry. I know what you and all of the other students think of me."

Harry was speechless.

"I know they wish I was dead. It's not as if I don't deserve it. I often wish I would just die too… but that would be too easy. The longer I stay here, the more I can be punished fo--"

The blonde was cut off instantly by a pair of strong arms thrown around him, pulling him tightly against Harry's body. He completely froze.

He couldn't believe it, Harry Potter, the famous golden boy was actually… hugging him. He couldn't even remember the last time either of his parents had done such a thing, let alone his mortal enemy.

All rational thought told him to push away now, to fight, to hate… but he found that he just couldn't. Not only that, but he found that he didn't _want_ to. He didn't want to push Harry away.

He knew he should want to. He knew that he should do everything he could to get away from him, but those warm arms felt so good wrapped around him, he felt… well he didn't really know how he felt. It just felt good.

Harry held on desperately to Draco, worried that if he loosened his grip at all, Draco was going to just vanish.

He waited for the fighting and the struggling, telling himself that he didn't care, he'd still hold on… but the fighting never came. Harry waited almost breathlessly for Draco to react.

The boys stood there for a long time in silence, unmoving, and Harry, to his joy and disbelief, felt the blonde's body start relaxing into his own. Harry found his breath again and held on tighter to the frail boy in his arms.  
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Harry wasn't sure how he did it.

It must have been the combination of everything that had happened that day and possibly the fact that it was after 3:30 in the morning, but somehow Draco had managed to fall asleep in Harry's embrace despite the fact that they were both still standing in the hallway.

Harry wasn't quite sure what to do. As much as he longed to stay like that, his legs were starting to get tired from holding not only the blonde, but also himself up and his eyelids were having extreme difficulties staying open.

He also knew that Draco had snuck away early from the hospital wing and therefore was not fully healed.

Harry placed a hand on either of Draco's shoulders ready to support him as he took a step back, but the moment he moved Draco's knees gave way and all Harry could do was help slowly lower the boy to the ground so he didn't fall.

Harry smiled despite himself at the sleeping form beneath him.

It was hard to believe that the ice prince could look so serene and innocent when he slept. It was still hard to believe that since just yesterday the two had gone from enemies to sharing a dormitory together and not only that, but Harry had been so close to the blonde.

He had no idea where these feelings were coming from, he should seriously be hating every moment of this…. but he just wasn't.

Harry looked again at the boy.

Draco seemed fast asleep, amazingly enough, and Harry got up the courage to make a very daring move praying the blonde didn't wake up and kill him where he stood. The boy did have a vicious temper, but he supposed it would be even worse if Harry left him lying in the middle of the wooden hallway all night.

Very gently, Harry slipped his arms beneath Draco's form, supporting his legs and his shoulders.

Cradling him against his chest he stood up and carried him into the bedroom.

He was concerned at how light he was, too light to be healthy that was for certain. Harry would have watch tomorrow to make sure that Draco was eating enough.

Harry froze at that last thought.

"Geeze Harry! Are you his bloody mother now?" Harry rolled his eyes at himself and decided that he would have to deal with his crazy concerns in the morning.

Once in the bedroom he carefully pulled back the comforter of the far bed and softly placed the still unconscious blonde on the cushion and pulled the comforter over him.

Harry silently crawled back into his own bed and tried hard not to think about what tomorrow might bring.

He knew things couldn't stay this nice forever, though he wished they could. He didn't think the rivalry between the two would die out that easily.

Sleep came easily this time and Harry had only enough time to picture Draco's sleeping face one last time before falling deeply into unconsciousness.  
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Ok, there is chapter 3. It's a little shorter than 1 and 2 but I think it turned out alright. I'm pretty sure I got out all the grammatical and spelling errors but there is always chance that one or two may have snuck in there. If so sorry about that, I know how annoying it is to try and read something that was poorly written. I just started chapter 4 and hope to have it up within a couple of days. Thank you again for the reviews, this is a lot more exciting for me than I originally thought it was going to be ^_^ I'm also open to suggestions if anyone has any. Thanks again!!


	4. Where will things go from here?

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter blah blah blah.

Sorry it took me a little longer to get this chapter up than I would have liked. Its been a little busy around here what with finals and all. I also realize that I shouldn't come up with excuses and just git er done lol. K sorry, I'm a nerd.

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Several hours later Harry slowly came out of a deep, dreamless sleep thankful it was Saturday.

He couldn't quite remember what had happened the day before and sat up groggily. After rubbing his eyes a couple of times he reached over to the bedside table and grabbed his glasses. He shoved them on his nose and blinked the last remnants of sleep out of his eyes.

After one big yawn, bright green eyes scanned the room and landed themselves on an empty bed neatly made on the other side. The shower could be heard running in a steady stream beyond the bathroom door.

That's when everything came crashing back to his memory; the maurauder's map, Dean Thomas, that scarring image of Draco lying broken on the lavatory floor, the hospital wing, McGonagall….getting Draco to bed….

A rush of dizziness washed over him and he fell back onto his pillows, a groan escaping his throat. He squeezed his eyes shut and began massaging his temples in a mad attempt to fight off the massive headache that was threatening to form.

"Great, that's all I need right now…ugh….stupid headache…"

Harry just had to calm down and relax so he could sort everything out.

Alright, first things first. He was now living in a new dorm separate from all the other houses with a new roommate. That wasn't so bad was it? Of course, his new roommate just happened to be his former enemy whom he had no less than carried like a bride and tucked into bed the previous night.

Harry cursed himself.

What was he thinking? Draco was sure to have figured out by now that he didn't climb into bed himself… and he certainly wouldn't take well to being treated like he was some sort of helpless child.

Ok, besides the fact that his roommate could turn on him at any moment, what was up with these new and ridiculous feelings that he was having towards the other boy? Harry had never really considered that he preferred blokes before, and especially not Draco Malfoy!

Maybe it was simply because of the pain that they shared….

Yes, that _had_ to be it. Harry wasn't going crazy, he was just…. relating. Relating with someone about something that no one else could ever relate to.

That must have been what McGonagall was talking about when she was muttering all that nonsense about everlasting bonds and what not in her office. But then again, she did have that shifty twinkle in her eye….

"I'll definitely be paying her a visit today" he thought out loud.

As if on cue, a big brown owl burst in out of nowhere making Harry fly into the air with a mild heart attack.

Harry didn't have time to breathe again before the owl dropped a small parcel in front of him and flew out of a large window that was located on the wall between the two beds. Harry stared in shock out the open window and watched the bird as it became smaller and smaller and eventually was out of sight.

Harry still stared.

No way was that window there last night. He would have to ask McGonagall about that too.

He heard the shower turn off and decided that he'd better get out of the bedroom before he caught the sight of a dripping wet Draco Malfoy. At this point, he wasn't exactly sure what that would do to him, and he wasn't ready to stick around and find out.

He quickly changed clothes, picked up the mysterious letter, and headed out into the common room.

Settling himself comfortably in one of the large leather chairs Harry held the letter out in front of him and examined it. He recognized the seal right away; it was the same seal that Dumbledore had always used.

He broke the seal easily and rolled open the parcel revealing the headmistress's neat, well-practiced calligraphy.

_I would like to see you both in my office as soon as you are up._ –Minerva McGonagall.

Harry flipped the parchment over kind of expecting there to be something else, but the back was blank so he flipped it back over, reread it quickly to make sure he didn't miss something, though he didn't know how he could have, and rolled the parchment back up.

"Well that was…. short." Harry mused out loud.

"What was short?"

Harry looked up to see Draco make his way down the short hallway into the common room and sit down in the chair opposite Harry.

Right away Harry could tell he was feeling better.

He _looked_ much better that was certain. The bruises that had covered his body were now faded, thanks to one of the potions Madam Pomfrey had managed to get down his throat before he snuck out, and he had a little more life in his eyes.

He was dressed comfortably yet elegantly in a pair of dark wash jeans and a dark green sweater.

When his eyes moved to Draco's face, Harry was a little surprised to see no hint of anger or malice in his expression which led Harry to the conclusion that the blonde hadn't yet figured out how he had gotten into his bed last night.

"There is a god out there" Harry thought as he let out a silent breath of relief.

Draco had a slight pink glow to his cheeks, the subtle evidence of a hot shower.

"Umm…. Harry?"

Harry blinked twice.

"You're staring."

Harry felt his face heat up and he immediately tore his gaze away from the figure in front of him shaking his head a couple times cursing himself again for getting lost in his thoughts.

"Oh I- I'm sorry, I- didn't realize I was staring… Harry spluttered out as best as he could and tried to change the subject.

"Um… McGonagall sent us this letter."

He held the letter out so Draco could take a look at it. The blonde reached across the coffee table and took the letter from Harry and read over it quickly.

"You think she could have been any more specific?" he asked sarcastically.

"Yeah, no kidding." Harry added, glad that Draco said nothing further about his strange behavior. "She probably just wants to check up on us and see how everything is going."

Draco rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, because we're children and can't take care of our bloody selves."

It was meant to be sarcastic but Harry looked up at Draco and saw that he too had realized, as soon as it came out of his mouth, that what he just said didn't really apply to him anymore. He _couldn't_ take care of himself, that's why he ended up the way he did. That's why he almost got-

"Well we should probably get going then. Everyone knows better than to keep the Headmistress waiting." Harry interjected quickly wanting to distract his roommate.

He recognized that look on Draco's face and it scared him. It was the look of deep thoughts, dark thoughts. He was sure that he himself had had that numb, lifeless look upon his face many times and didn't ever want to see it on Draco's face.

That was part of his new job, part of protecting the blonde. He would do everything he could to prevent that look from ever crossing that pale porcelain face and entering those deep silver eyes.

If he could protect Draco from those nightmarish feelings, then maybe in return he himself would no longer have to bear those feelings. It could be as McGonagall had said.

Harry stood up and walked towards the entrance.

He stopped before moving the statue and turned back to wait for Draco.

The blonde hadn't moved from where he sat in the chair so Harry tried to get his attention by speaking his name softly.

Silver eyes rose to meet expectant green ones and when they did, Draco was pulled out of his trance. He shook away any previous thoughts from his head and stood up "Right."

He went to meet Harry at the door and the two boys left the dormitory and headed towards the headmistress's office.  
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Winding through the castle, the pair would occasionally run into a small group of students, but for the most part the halls were empty. Most of the students were at Hogsmead for the weekend and wouldn't be returning until Sunday evening.

That gave Harry the chance to get a little more used to walking around with Draco because he knew that he would have to expect a good amount of staring and whispers as they walked to their classes next week.

Thankfully Harry had had much practice in the art of ignoring that kind of attention simply because he was the "boy who lived." He was used to it.

As for Draco, he was used to getting attention sure, in fact he thrived on it, but this kind of attention was not good, not at all.

He was sure that the majority of the students would simply stare in disbelief. It was after all, a well known fact that Harry and Draco absolutely hated each other and had a very intense rivalry. Never in a million years did people think that they would see them walking around together as if they were friends.

There would also be those who felt anger and bitterness towards them.

Certainly Dean and his gang would consider this a huge betrayal on Harry's part not only for siding with the school's number one hated person but also for abandoning Griffindor house to become this person's new roommate _and_, on a more personal level, for humiliating him in front of his friends by threatening him during their encounter in the 3rd floor lavatory.

He didn't really mind if Dean hated him though; after what he did to Draco, Harry hated him right back.

Ron and Hermione would probably be a little hurt by Harry leaving Griffindor, but they knew that he would always do what he needed to do and if what he needed to do was detach himself from everything he once was, then so be it.

The boys walked in silence most of the way, neither really knowing what to say.

Being friendly towards each other, or more, not wanting to kill each other was a new experience for both of them.

Finally the owl statue was in sight and Draco decided to speak up.

"Hey Harry, I was thinking, um… about last night..."

Harry's heart sped up as he turned to look at Draco. Oh great, here it comes…

"..uh…"

Harry waited anxiously, why didn't he just say it? Harry, I know what you did last night you bastard! Who do you think I am, some sort of little girl who needs her mommy? I'm Draco Malfoy! Touch me again and I'll-

"Thank you."

Harry stared blankly at Draco who had suddenly taken a great interest in his shoelaces, and... was that a little blushing on his cheeks?

There's no way he could have possibly heard correctly.

"W-what?"

He knew he must have sounded like a complete moron.

Draco's head shot up and he looked Harry in the eyes

"I'm not going to repeat myself Potter so if you missed what I said that's your own bloody fault!"

He 'hmphed' and turned on his heels to face the owl statue and muttered the password. Once the statue spun out of the way the blonde stomped up the stairs and disappeared around the curve of the staircase.

Harry's jaw was on the floor.

He could hear the angry footsteps fading as Draco climbed higher and finally faded out as he reached McGonagall's office.

Suddenly, and very unexpectedly, Harry did something that he hadn't done in Dumbledore knows how long.

He laughed.

Not only that, Harry broke out in a fit of _uncontrollable_ laughter.

This laughter had to have stemmed from the rediculous tantrum the former slytherin just threw. No, he didn't want to be treated like a child, but he certainly acted like one!

Harry grabbed onto the wall with one hand to keep himself from falling to the floor and wrapped his other hand around his now aching abdomen.

A couple first years walked in his direction and quickly turned around and hurried away thinking he was going crazy, and maybe we _was_ going crazy, but he could have cared less.

He finally calmed down enough to stand up on his own and decided he'd better head upstairs before someone had to come down and get him.

He couldn't remember the last time he had laughed so hard and he didn't realize how much he missed it.

He didn't even care in that moment that Draco was mad at him because he knew at least Draco was feeling more like his normal self. Not evil and heartless though, more like…. childish and bratty.

Harry grinned wider at that thought, if that was even possible, but forced the smile from his face as he climbed the final stairs and entered McGonagall's office.  
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He sat down in the chair next to Draco's across from the Headmistress's desk. She greeted him with smiling forest green eyes.

"Good morning Mr. Potter, Mr. Malfoy. I trust you slept well last night?"

"Yes, thank you professor." Harry replied automatically, but not insincerely.

She nodded and focused her gaze on Draco.

"How about you Mr. Malfoy?"

"Yes, actually. I didn't really realize how exhausted I was. I don't even remember going to bed."

Harry fought back a snicker as he realized he should have known how dense Draco could be. He'd never figure it out on his own, and Harry certainly wasn't going to tell him.

McGonagall smiled stiffly.

"Yes, well that's what leaving the Hospital Wing early with injuries such as yours will do to you."

Draco 'hmphed' again and crossed his arms over his chest. "I was fine without the Hospital Wing thank you professor."

"Is that so? Well then, if that's the case you are free to return to your dormitory Mr. Malfoy."

Harry noticed the curious twinkle again in her eyes and he wondered what she was up to.

The blonde stared at her for a moment in disbelief.

"You called us all the way up here for that?"

Draco certainly was returning to his old self and maybe it was stupid, but it kind of made Harry feel good that he used the term 'us' instead of using his usual selfish 'me me me'. It made him feel like even though Draco's normal personality was returning, maybe he still wouldn't hate Harry like he once did.

"Well I suppose I should also include that though you do not have to return to the hospital wing… are you comfortable with your new dormitory?"

Draco didn't know what she was getting at so he answered hesitantly

"It's tolerable…."

"Good, because you won't be allowed to leave for the rest of the weekend."

"What?!"

Draco shoved himself out of his chair and slammed his hands on the big desk in front of him.

"What do you mean I won't be able to leave?!"

"Call it dorm arrest Mr. Malfoy." She responded in her calm relaxed voice. "It's only for the weekend to allow your wounds to heal."

"I told you I'm fine!"

"I was well informed of your injuries Mr. Malfoy."

Draco glared at the headmistress who returned his gaze with a caring yet authoritative one.

Neither spoke until finally Draco huffed a "fine!" in surrender and stormed out of the office.

Harry was unsure whether to stay or follow Draco but the decision was made for him when the Headmistress spoke again.

"Please stay Harry, there are a few matters I would like to discuss with you."  
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Thank you really for all of the reviews ^_^ I really appreciate them so much!! I feel like this chapter might have been a little slow but things will be picking up soon in the future :) but either way I hope you enjoyed!!


	5. So that's how its going to be

Disclaimer: nope, still don't own Harry Potter.

I am so sorry, I know I've taken such a long time to get this chapter up what with finals and everything, but I have a month off of school for winter break so now i have no excuse to not get chapters up more quickly. Hope you enjoy!!  
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"There are a couple things I would like to discuss with you Harry… but I would like to start by asking you about your new living conditions. How are you faring?"

Harry could tell there was something more on her mind, but decided not to press right away. McGonagall wasn't one to stray from the point for very long.

"Umm, they are fine professor. It's going to be a little hard not to be a part of Griffindor anymore; I think I'll miss Quidditch the most… but this is probably for the best. I trust your judgment." Harry nodded to reassure his statement; he supposed more for himself than anything.

That reminded him of something though.

"Professor, the dormitory you created… does it change?"

"Change?" She looked at him peculiarly.

"Yes, on its own. You know, like the castle staircases."

She now understood what he was talking about.

"Oh you are referring to the window in your bedroom. I'm sorry if I startled you with that new little addition. I didn't realize that I had forgotten to add in a window until late last night. I honestly didn't expect you to pick up on it, what with everything that has happened to you recently."

Harry smiled with relief.

"It's alright professor. I'm just glad that now _Draco_ is the only unpredictable thing I need to worry about."

The headmistress smiled back at him, but her smile faded as she thought about the other information that she felt she needed to share with him. She cleared her throat.

"Harry, I know you have gone through so much already and I hate to have more bad news to add onto your already worn down shoulders, but I think that you need to be aware of this."

Harry's heart started to beat faster, though he wasn't sure what the news could be.

He knew for a fact that Voldemort was dead, truly and absolutely gone, but the tone in McGonagall's voice made Harry sure that there was some sort of business that had been left unfinished.

He looked into her eyes in all seriousness and awaited her news.

"Lucious Malfoy has escaped from Azkaban."

Harry stared at her in disbelief.

"They have no idea how he managed to escape, but they know he must have had outside help."

Harry shot up out of his chair, fear and anger bubbling inside of him.

"What?! How could this have happened! After everything he's done how could they even allow him the slightest possible chance of escaping?! Professor! Do they know what he plans to do?"

Her green eyes followed him as he paced around the room.

"I'm afraid that as of now, no one knows what his intentions are."

Harry stopped pacing and focused on her.

"I think you should be telling this to Draco. It's _his_ bastard father. Why did you make him leave?"

"Draco, like you Harry, has lost everything that he has ever believed in, even if those beliefs weren't the purest. He has enough to worry about here, including trying to re-find himself and hopefully choose a path… a little better of nature. Draco fears his father. He fears his father more than he feared the dark lord. It is unclear at this moment of the intentions of Lucious Malfoy and that is why I feel it would be better that his son be kept in the dark for the time being. He might attempt to do something very irrational. I do assure you Mr. Potter that once his intentions are defined, I will inform Draco Malfoy immediately."

Harry found himself slouched in his original chair, though he couldn't quite remember putting himself there.

He had nothing to say. He couldn't even lift his eyes to meet the anxious ones of the headmistress. The raven haired hero could only sit there and stare at the desk, blank-minded, for however long it happened to be until McGonagall spoke again.

"I think you need some breakfast Harry. You haven't eaten yet have you?"

He managed to look up at her, expression still blank.

She reached into her top desk drawer and pulled out a little rectangular object.

She held it out in front of him and he recognized it as a small candy bar.

"I stole a handful of these from professor Lupin. He is right though, chocolate does have a funny way of making one feel better."

She smiled warmly at him, all traces of worry wiped from her face, or perhaps just hidden away.

"Eat this on the way back to your dorm and I promise you will feel better. I have sent a group of house elves up to your room with breakfast. I assure you that if I receive any new information, you will be the first to know. Try to enjoy your weekend Harry."  
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Again, he wasn't sure how he had gotten there, but Harry now found himself outside of the closed owl statue with an unopened chocolate bar in his hand.

He peeled open the wrapper and took a bite.

Instantly, the veil of unemotion that had fallen over him fell away and a fresh wave of anger washed through him as he thought about everything McGonagall had just told him.

How could this have possibly happened? After all he had been through, what the hell did he do to deserve this?

It didn't help his mood either thinking about how lovely it was going to be returning to a dormitory that now housed and extremely pissed off Draco Malfoy.

The candy bar was completely gone when Harry reached the angelic gargoyle statue marking the entrance to his dorm, and he realized that he did feel surprisingly better. He was still in a bad mood, but his head was noticeably clearer.

He went inside to find a huge cart full of every kind of mouthwatering food imaginable. It had everything the great hall normally offered and more. Harry wasn't even sure how they managed to get everything onto the cart, but he didn't really care as long as it was as delicious as he knew it would be.

Draco was sitting on the sofa staring silently at the fireplace, ignoring Harry's presence.

Harry could tell that he hadn't eaten anything which didn't have a positive impact on his already unstable mood.

What made him even madder was that he actually _cared_.

The blonde was very obviously ignoring him, but he pretended to play dumb.

"Oh you waited to eat for _me_ Draco dear? You shouldn't have."

The comment was dripping with bitter sarcasm.

Draco turned on him.

"Shut it Potter! I'm not hungry, and it's none of your business if I eat or not!"

Harry wanted to punch him right in the jaw. He had done a lot for him so far and he did _not_ want to deal with this crap right now.

He decided to pretend he didn't hear anything and fixed the blonde up a heaping plate of food.

He went to the back of the sofa and leaned unnecessarily close over Draco's shoulder, lingering for a moment, his lips dangerously close to that pale jaw line. He knew Draco was holding his breath and he could see a pink hue start to form on his cheek out of the corner of his eye.

Harry grinned before dropping the plate of food onto the frozen blonde's lap and walking back to the cart.

That snapped Draco out of it.

"Dammit Potter I told you it's none of your business!" He whipped his head around and shot a death glare at Harry.

Unfazed, Harry snapped right back.

"It is too my business because I'm the one who has to live with you!"

"So because we are living together now, you feel the need to mother me?!"

"Well maybe if I thought you were going to take care of yourself I wouldn't have to!"

Harry was beyond angry. He clenched his fists tightly to keep himself from lunging at the mouthy boy on the couch.

"I can take care of myself just fine! I don't need _you_."

"Why you…!"

Harry threw his hands in the air in defeat.

"Ugh, Fine! I'll just go pack my things and be off so Mr. hated by everyone in bloody England can wallow in self pity and starve himself to death!"

Harry turned to storm into the bedroom, leaving the fuming blonde on the couch but stopped short when something wet and squishy hit him in the back of the head.

"What the-"

He reached his hand back to the spot where he had been hit and pulled a giant wad of mashed potatoes out of his hair.

He turned slowly to face his offender.

Draco was glaring viciously at him, but his expression changed the moment their eyes met. He didn't even try to suppress his laughter at the disgusted look Harry wore on his face. His laughter didn't last long though before Harry stomped back over to the food cart, grabbed a huge fistful of porridge, and flung it right at Draco's face.

Direct hit.

The messy porridge dripped from Draco's chin as his expression changed slowly from shock to the same look of disgust Harry had previously worn.

Now it was Harry's turn to laugh, but it wasn't long until Draco rebelled and their little tiff turned into an all out food fight.

Harry had the advantage as he had the entire food cart, but Draco held his own using the heaping plate of food Harry had originally given to him.

Before long the entire room had turned into a war zone and both boys were ducking behind chairs, using empty plates as shields, and ultimately having the time of their lives.

The cloud of anger that had surrounded them had completely diminished and all that was left was two seriously fun deprived teenage boys doing some major catching up.

Harry dodged another mashed potato wad by rolling behind the desk and reached around to grab a handful of whatever mush he could find to retaliate. Draco tried to dodge by leaping behind the couch but fell short getting hit in the shoulder.

He hissed in pain as he hit the ground and crumpled into a ball, wrapping his arms around his chest.

Harry immediately saw the pain in his roommate's face and rushed to his side.

"Draco! Are you alright?"

"Y-yeah, I'm alright. It's just my ribs…"

Harry helped Draco sit up.

C'mon Harry, how stupid do you have to be to forget that he is still hurt? That's the whole reason he's locked up here for the weekend! Way to go mate. You're sure doing a fine job here.

Harry looked at the ground and inwardly cursed himself.

When he looked back up, he noticed the blonde staring at him.

He stared back at him, and noticed a small drip of gravy that was making its way from the center of Draco's forehead down the bridge of his nose. Harry watched it, mesmerized, as it finally reached the end of his nose and dripped off onto the floor.

He brought his eyes back up to those silver ones and as soon as they met both boys broke out in a mad fit of laughter.

They were both covered from head to toe in food, definitely a sight to see. Harry grabbed his stomach as it was still sore from his earlier laughing spell, but he just couldn't stop.

Even Draco didn't know how long it had been since he had laughed out of pure personal delight.

He knew that it was unacceptable for a Malfoy to laugh in such a manor, but he didn't care. His father was in Azkaban and his Mother was nowhere to be found.

It was also being in Harry's presence that allowed him to show his true self. He wasn't really sure why, perhaps it was because the golden boy had already seen him at his absolute lowest so maybe it didn't matter anymore, but he did know that he would not be acting this way if he were here with anyone else.

Even when he was friends with Blaise and Pansy he still felt the need to shield who he was. He needed to hold the Malfoy name strong and proud, but none of that mattered anymore. Nothing is now as it once was, and perhaps it truly was for the better.

He still hated when Harry was right and he was wrong, but he couldn't deny he was… glad…ish… that things had changed between them.

Harry was still laughing, but stopped when Draco cringed again.

"I think I'd better go get you some medicine from Madam Pomfrey."

Draco opened his eyes and smiled sheepishly at him.

"I think that would help."

Harry helped Draco onto the cleanest part of the couch so he could wait somewhat comfortably until he returned.

"I'm going to wash up quickly before I head out."

"Yeah, you wouldn't want to show your face looking like that." Draco laughed to himself.

Harry threw a joking glare Draco's direction before heading into the bathroom.

He heard Draco cast a cleaning charm before he started the shower.

He washed all the food off of himself quickly but thoroughly before turning off the water and reaching for a towel. He threw on a casual pair of jeans and a tshirt and towel dried his hair as best as he could before leaving the bedroom.

In the ten short minutes he was gone, everything in the common room had been made completely spotless. Everything that is, except for Draco.

The food covered boy was still lounging on the couch staring thoughtfully into the fire.

This time, he looked up when Harry entered the room.

Harry couldn't help but laugh again when he saw him which earned him another dirty look from the blonde. Harry smiled innocently and put his hands up in front of himself.

"Ok ok, I'm sorry, the shower is all yours."

He walked towards the statue entrance, but turned back to Draco.

"Don't get up if it hurts too badly, ok?"

Draco rolled his eyes.

"Yeah yeah, now hurry up Harry and go get me some medicine."

Harry walked out of the dormitory smiling to himself.

That was a good enough 'thank you' for him. So they didn't hate each other. Of course they were going to fight, but Harry was happy as long as they could get it out of their systems and be, well, friends.

He made his way up to the hospital wing hoping that Madam Pomfrey wouldn't refuse to give him medicine for Draco because he had decided to leave early.  
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I continue to thank you all so much for the wonderful reviews! They have helped keep me motivated so much! I plan to have chapter 6 up in a couple of days, I hope you enjoyed!


	6. I'll be there for you

Disclaimer: still not mine, never will be.

Ok, so I realize how terribly late I am in finishing this chapter.... I'm so sorry!!!!  
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Harry strolled down numerous hallways and corridors in the general direction of his dorm, the bottle of potion Madam Pomfrey had been kind enough to give him tucked safely in the right front pocket of his jeans.

He figured Draco would be in the shower, knowing how the Malfoy Prince wouldn't be able to stand being dirty for any measurable length of time, so he decided that he was in no big hurry to return.

Making his way to the courtyard, he silently thanked the gods again for the emptiness of the castle.

It wasn't that he particularly disliked having the students around, but he still wasn't sure what he was going to do about the reactions that he knew were to come. There was still a day and a half left of the weekend and Harry wanted every minute of it to make some sense of this crazy new situation.

The cool air hit his face as he stepped outside and walked over to the giant fountain in the center of the courtyard that was spilling out its last remnants of water before the winter season.

Harry sat on the rim and looked down into the clear gurgling liquid.

He stared at his reflection for a moment before dipping his fingers in and swirling them around to blot it out so he could look past it.

Hundreds of coins of all value coated the bottom of the fountain, which would be have been sparkling radiantly had the sun been out.

The coins contained wishes that had been made by witches and wizards who have attended Hogwarts and if one looked, they could probably find coins in there that dated back to the time that Hogwarts had been created.

Harry thought it such a funny thing to do, throwing a coin into a fountain or a well to make a wish come true, but knew that it was something everyone probably did at least once in their life. As soon as that thought came into his head though, he realized that he had never done so before.

He stood up and dug around in his pockets, though he never usually carried loose coins with him when he wasn't wearing his robe so he wasn't expecting to find much.

Just when he thought he would come up empty handed his fingers brushed against something metal and he pulled out a single silver sickle from his back left pocket. Harry studied the coin in his hand.

"Everything else I have been doing is new, why stop there?"

He looked around just to make sure nobody was watching and looked at the coin in his hand and whispered to it as if it could actually hear him.

"I don't really know what to wish for…or even if you will grant my wish…"

He looked around again, knowing how stupid he would look if he was caught talking to a coin, but of course he was still alone, so he turned back to the sickle in his hand.

"I wish… I wish…. I wish that Draco and I are able to heal and live normally again!"

Harry tossed the coin into the fountain which 'plunked' as it broke the surface and sank to the bottom. He stared at the ripple replaying his wish in his head realizing how lame it was.

He was just about to start sulking but the bell tower suddenly boomed, signaling it to be 2 o'clock which jerked him back to life.

"Crap! I hope Draco took a long shower."

Harry sprinted back into the castle and ran up to his dorm as fast as he could.  
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"What took you so long?"

The blonde demanded as Harry burst into the common room panting hard.

Draco was positioned once again on the couch, though this time he wasn't covered in food. He wore a green cotton long sleeve shirt and a pair of khaki pants. His arms were crossed over his chest and his lips were downturned in a scowl.

His silver eyes followed Harry as he walked over to the couch, still slightly out of breath, and pulled the potion bottle out of his pocket.

"Sorry …about that…"

Harry tossed the bottle gently into the blonde's lap and flopped down in one of the oversized chairs and propped his legs up on the coffee table.

The fireplace was lit and it felt good to warm up after being outside in the cool autumn air.

Draco stared at the little bottle in his lap for a moment before looking back over at Harry who was staring into the fire.

"You didn't answer my question. What were you doing?"

The raven haired boy turned to face him.

"I just went for a walk and lost track of time."

He shrugged and turned back to the fire. Draco eyed him suspiciously.

"You went for a walk? Where did you go?"

Harry turned back around and was taken aback by the look he received.

"I went out to the courtyard."

"Why did you go there? What's so special about the courtyard to make you-"

"Geeze Draco, I needed some fresh air! What's with the 3rd degree?"

Harry, now giving his full attention to the blonde, watched in confusion as Draco gave him an unsure look before cautiously opening the potion bottle and bringing it slowly to his nose and giving it a sniff.

Realization suddenly hit him.

"Aww Draco, I thought we were past this! Do you seriously think I would do something to your potion?"

Draco 'hmphed' and stuck his nose in the air.

"Well… I suppose not. But I need to be cautious. I _am_ the most hated person in all of England. I wouldn't be surprised if you decided to poison me."

Harry rolled his eyes and relaxed back into his chair ignoring the sarcasm.

"Oh c'mon Draco…. I'm not even the poisoning type."

Draco looked at him, not knowing if he was serious or not.

"That's more _your_ style. _My_ preferred style of killing… is with my hands around my victim's neck."

Harry turned to look at him in all seriousness but couldn't contain his laughter when he saw the blonde's eyes widen in shock at his "confession".

Draco realized he fell for it and it was his turn to roll his eyes. He threw a pillow at the laughing boy who continued to laugh.

"Shut up Harry, you're such a child."

Harry stopped laughing but his smile stayed in place.

"You think _I'm_ a child? Ha! I'm not the one who threw a tantrum like a 5-year old for being put on dorm arrest for being injured."

Draco scowled at him again.

"You would too if it was _you_."

Harry rolled his eyes again and adjusted himself in his chair so that he was more comfortable. He closed his eyes and let the warmth of the fire put him in a deep relaxation.

"Whatever Draco. Just quit whining and drink your potion. Otherwise you'll be stuck in here until your ribs heal on their own, and who knows how long that could be."

Draco threw a glare in Harry's direction but looked at the potion bottle again hesitantly.

He scrunched his nose. He knew how horrible bone repair potion tasted.

Taking a deep breath, he plugged his nose before downing as much of the potion as he could before the taste was too much. He forced the last drops of it down and set the empty bottle next to him on the coffee table.

He looked over at Harry and was about to complain about the hideous taste but stayed quiet when it appeared that his roommate had fallen asleep.

"Figures…" he muttered under his breath.

Draco was about to turn away but stopped when he noticed the way the firelight glowed off of Harry's tanned skin, literally making him look like the golden boy that he was.

He did have a decent appearance to him; Draco had to give him that. His raven hair, untamed as it was, fit him perfectly and his emerald eyes…. the contrast they made was breathtaking.

The blonde couldn't help but imagine the way they would burn in the light of the fire if only they were open.

He blinked at that image and shook his head violently trying to rid himself of his intrusive thoughts and overactive imagination.

There were certainly no feelings in him like that for Harry, so he definitely should not be thinking about him that way.

Draco leaned his head back on the arm of the sofa and concentrated on staring at the ceiling.

There were numerous girls who had shown interest in him his first couple of years at Hogwarts, but he had never really been attracted to any of them. He had mostly just found them to be annoying and clingy.

In his 5th and 6th years he was too busy dealing with the dark side to even think about his own feelings towards people, so he supposed there could be a possibility that he was attracted to blokes….

but even if he was, he certainly wouldn't be attracted to Harry Potter!

The blonde rolled his eyes and shook his head again.

"Tch! Yeah right… never ever going to happen."

He covered his mouth and snapped his head in Harry's direction when he realized he had spoken out loud, but the boy merely turned his head slightly and continued to sleep.

Draco released the breath he had been holding and told himself he shouldn't care if he woke Harry up or not.

His eyes had wandered, against his will, back to the sleeping boy and the blonde watched, transfixed, the way the firelight danced on that nearly flawless face.

They wandered some more, down that sleek neck and back up around that strong jawline and finally resting on a pair of slightly parted lips. They looked soft….

"Arg!!! What the bloody-!"

Harry woke from Draco's outburst and nearly fell out of the chair.

"What is it? What's wrong?"

Draco stood up and Harry got up too.

He placed a hand on the upset blonde's shoulder and looked him in the eyes, concern clear on his face.

"Draco, are you ok?"

Draco tore his gaze away and shrugged off Harry's hand. He huffed off towards the bedroom.

"It's just my ribs Harry, leave me alone."

Draco slammed the bedroom door leaving the bewildered hero standing alone in the common room and prayed that he didn't try to come in and talk to him.

He threw himself onto his bed deciding that the only reasonable explanation for his ridiculous thoughts was the potion he had just drunk. It must have been messing with his head. He just needed to sleep it off and he would be much better when he woke up.

Harry stared silently at the bedroom door.

Draco said that it was his ribs that were bothering him, but it just didn't feel like that was really what had caused his little outburst.

He seemed… like he was frustrated with something, but Harry couldn't imagine for the life of him what that could possibly be. They had both just been sitting there.

Whatever the reason, Harry knew it was probably best to leave him alone for a while. It was easy to forget that he wasn't the only one who had to adjust to a new situation, and in many ways, Draco had even more adjusting to do than he himself did.

Like McGonagall had said, he needed to figure out who he was, now that he was no longer a puppet being controlled by stronger, darker powers.

Harry sat down in the chair again, hugging his knees to his chest and began to think about Lucious Malfoy.

Draco had no idea that his father had escaped, and Harry hated that he was keeping it a secret from him. He knew that it was probably the best way to protect him, but it just didn't feel right.

It was his father after all, his own flesh and blood, and he had finally earned some honest trust from the boy.

Harry sighed and rested his chin on his knees.

He had no idea where Lucious Malfoy was, but he knew for certain that he wouldn't hesitate in killing him if he came anywhere near Draco.

He gritted his teeth at the thought and then forced it from his mind.

Meanwhile, in the other room, the young blonde's successful attempt at a restful sleep was interrupted with a garish nightmare.

It was his father.

And he was coming for him.  
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Again I'm so sorry for how long this, sadly short, chapter took me to get up, but I still hope you enjoyed. I promise, PROMISE to try my best and get the next chapter up withing a couple of days. Thank you for your patience and seriously lovely reviews!!!


	7. Fine, we'll be friends

Disclaimer: Even after my whole time off from writing, I still do not own anything. Also, if anyone cares, I've began writing the next couple of chapters recently, so I won't go another year without updating... I'M SO SORRY!

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Harry sat down in the common room _again_, after going up and down the hallway for the umpteenth time, deciding whether or not to go talk to Draco and find out what was wrong.

After much deliberation, he decided to leave the former slytherin alone. After all, the two had spent more time together without trying to kill each other in the past two days than they had in all their years at Hogwarts combined. That was bound to take its toll on anyone who had had as strong of a rivalry as they did.

Harry took a deep breath, trying again to turn off his brain.

He managed a few moments of silence before it was interrupted by a deep gurgling sound that emanated from his stomach. He opened his eyes and glanced at the clock on the far wall.

4:59 pm.

Harry thought about it for a moment and realized that he hadn't eaten anything besides a small chocolate bar all day. He hadn't even managed a sip of pumpkin juice before the food war ensued earlier that morning.

He also knew that if he hadn't eaten anything, then his roommate definitely hadn't either.

Suppressing the urge to scoff, Harry decided that he would work on that later. Besides, Draco had just drunk a bottle of bone repair potion, which was bound to ruin anyone's appetite.

He watched as the clock clicked over to 5:00pm and as timely as house elves are, Harry heard a pop behind him and turned in time to see a younger looking house elf smile and wave at him before disappearing with another pop, leaving a cart of food behind.

The aroma hit him almost immediately and his mouth began to water.

He didn't think he would ever get used to the wonderful sensation of having food available to him at any time, whenever he wanted, never having to go hungry again. The Dursley's were one thing he was _glad_ he was separated from forever and ever.

Harry walked over and grabbed a bread roll, shoving it in his mouth before picking up a plate. He decided to make one last attempt at getting Draco to eat and filled the plate with foods he thought he might like.

Harry padded down the hallway and opened the door slowly, poking his head inside.

There was a quiet mass on Draco's bed facing away from the door so Harry couldn't see his face.

He waited a moment and saw no movement, so assumed that the blonde had fallen asleep.

That was good, he needed rest too.

Tiptoeing across the room, Harry set the plate of food on the bedside table as quietly as he could, trying not to wake the sleeping form.

He held his breath when said boy moaned and rolled over, wondering how angry the Dragon prince could get. Silver eyes were still closed though, so he was asleep, but his face was not serene as Harry would have expected to be, recalling the previous night. Instead it was furrowed in torment and covered in a cold sweat.

Harry frowned, and without thinking rested his hand on Draco's forehead, noting the fever that could be felt beneath the cold.

Those pale lips started moving and he heard the blonde whimper something about the dark lord and his father.

Stroking his hand lightly down that soft pale cheek, Harry kneeled down beside the boy and whispered soothingly into his ear.

"Voldemort is dead Draco, remember? He can't hurt you… and your father is locked away in Azkaban…" He cringed at the lie.

"He can't hurt you either. You are safe here Draco. I'm here too, and I won't let anything bad happen to you."

Gradually the blonde's face relaxed in Harry's hand and his breathing slowed to a normal rate. Harry stood up, relaxing a little himself. He let out a long sigh and quietly walked over to his own bed, grabbing his book bag before heading back out to the common room.

When he reached the door he glanced over his shoulder one last time at his sleeping roommate before shutting the door with a muffled 'click'.

After setting his bag down by the desk, Harry went back over to the food cart and filled a plate for himself with all of his favorites.

He poured himself a goblet of pumpkin juice and sat down at the desk, pulling out one of his more preferred Defense Against The Dark Arts textbooks. He flipped through the pages as he ate, looking for anything that might help prepare him, should Lucious Malfoy decided to show his ugly face again.

Most of the spells and enchantments were familiar to him, having used many of them during the war, but he thought it could never hurt to review. He hated not having any idea of what to do, especially in situations where having a plan could mean the difference between life and death.

Harry removed his glasses, and ran his hands roughly over his face, trying to clear his head.

What he really wanted to do was talk to Ron and Hermione. He missed them terribly, and they were always able to help him through times when his head was foggy and his world was spinning.

He wanted to tell them everything.

About how Lucious had escaped and about what happened to Draco. About how he rescued Draco and they were now living in a dorm together by request of Headmistress McGonagall. Most importantly, he wanted to tell them everything that was happening _between_ him and Draco.

They would probably go into shock simply after hearing him address Malfoy by his first name, but he also thought that would cause them to take him seriously about the way Draco had changed… and the way he was changing.

He didn't know if they would even want to be his friends after he spilled everything, but he had to try, there was no one else who had the slightest chance of understanding him.

Unfortunately for him, they were both having fun at Hogsmead for the weekend and he was stuck here.

Harry thought for a moment.

Technically _he_ didn't have to stay here…. But he couldn't just make Draco stay here by himself could he?

The ice prince would probably go insane. Either that or do something really stupid, like leave their dorm anyways only to get caught and finished off by a still angry Dean Thomas and his gang.

Harry turned to look at the bedroom door thinking about the boy within. The potion would be finished working by morning, which means Draco would be fully healed….

That's it. He'll just have to come with.

Harry smiled as he planned their escape. All he had to do was find the closest secret entrance into Hogsmead on the Maurauder's map and they'd be good to go! Harry was sure there would be no argument from the blonde when it came to sneaking around and getting some freedom. They would just leave tomorrow morning.

With that satisfying him, he replaced his glasses, helped himself to another plateful of food and continued reading through his textbook.

* * *

He saw was a flash of green, and a bloodcurdling scream rang through his ears causing the disturbed blonde to bolt upright. Panting hard, wild silver eyes burst open and scanned their surroundings

The realization that he was alone in his own room slowly washed over him, and he tried to calm his breathing.

The room was bathed in a dark orange glow from the setting sun through the window and Draco thought for a moment, imaging it must be around 7:00pm.

He curled his legs under him and wrapped his arms protectively around himself.

The dark prince had had many nightmares before, but none quite as vivid as this one. He only remembered bits and pieces, but the emotions he felt still shook through his body.

He took a few deep breaths and peered over his arms when a delicious scent reached him.

He was too distraught to notice before, but there was a plate of food sitting next to his bed, and he instantly knew that it was from Harry, who must have brought it in while he was asleep.

That idiot.

'Why does he have be so caring of others? And most of all, why is he being so protective of _me_?'

He felt a warm tingling sensation briefly in his chest, something that was so foreign to him, he almost didn't recognize it.

Potions class elicited a comparable feeling inside of him, but this was most definitely not the same. He had no idea why the raven haired hero caused feelings such as these inside of him, and he wasn't too sure that he liked it.

Draco huffed in frustration and glared at the plate of food.

He tried to fight it, but found to his dismay, that his body had slyly moved against his will to sit directly in front of that blasted plate. Still glaring at it, he noticed that there was a wide array of most of his favorites, all of which looked to be still warm.

He had to hand it to Harry for being able to pick him out a decent meal. He inhaled the glorious smell and his mouth began to water. Draco picked up the fork that had been left beside the plate and speared a steamy looking piece of chicken.

His stomach growled in anticipation and he realized that for the first time in a long time, he actually felt like eating something. After forking the chicken into his mouth, Draco found that he couldn't stop, and realized that he didn't want to.

15 minutes later his plate was empty and he was swallowing his last gulp of pumpkin juice. He sprawled out on his back and let out a deep sigh of pleasure at the fullness in his stomach.

He was thankful to have his appetite back, and much to his surprise, was thankful to Harry for helping. He may have been a bloody frustrating one, a confusing one, but someone none the less Draco realized, that he wanted to have on his side.

Maybe they really could be… friends.

There was a cold voice in the back of his mind, telling him that he didn't deserve to have friends after everything he had done, and who in their right mind would _want_ to be friends with him…

...but, Harry wasn't really in his right mind was he?

He had been scarred deeply, and so had Draco.

So, he contemplated, they were both out of their right minds.

Besides, this was closer than he ever imagined he would get to the world's hero... did he really want to throw his _final _chance to become someone worthwhile out the window?

Draco shook his head violently.

That's it. He was _going_ to be friends with Harry. He had never had an honest friend before, and Harry Potter was as honest as they came.

With new resolve, Draco decided to suck up what little pride he had left and go thank the Golden Boy.

Picking up the empty plate and goblet, Draco made his way across the room and opened the door. He could see Harry down the hall in the common room sitting at the desk, where it looked like he had fallen asleep.

Figures.

Draco crept closer and noticed that the shaggy haired boy was bent over the desk with his head resting on an open Defense Against The Dark Arts book.

He briefly wondered why he would be reading a book like that since the war was over, but brushed it off as he quietly put his empty dishes back on the cart. Draco snapped his head around when he heard Harry's breath hitch, and became aware that he was shivering.

It was chilly in the room with the fire low, so Draco made his way over to the fireplace to stoke it.

Once the fire had grown much larger he looked around the room and saw a throw that was hanging over the back of one of the armchairs. Draco pulled the throw off the chair and walked back over to his roommate, draping it securely over those worn down shoulders.

Almost instantly the shivering stopped and Draco grinned with satisfaction.

He was entranced for a moment by the way the fire glowed off of Harry's glasses, but then he shook his head, wondering how someone could possibly fall asleep with those things on their face.

Careful not to wake the sleeping hero, Draco reached over and gently slid the glasses off of Harry's face and placed them neatly on the desk next to him.

Satisfied once again, the blonde grabbed a book about rare potions his godfather had given him and curled up on the couch in front of the fireplace.

* * *

This one was shorter, but was mostly a transitional chapter for those to come, and you may not believe me anymore, but ther ARE on their way! Thanks everyone for reading!


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